


After All This Time

by Lumeleo



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Adults, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M, Permanent Injury, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22112911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumeleo/pseuds/Lumeleo
Summary: Sanada has not seen Atobe in a long time. It turns out that while much has changed, some aspects of his rival are still the same. Especially the way he seems to get right under Sanada's skin.
Kudos: 9





	After All This Time

Of all the useless things Sanada had to tolerate, pointless parties were probably the worst.

Luckily it wasn’t often that it was in any way necessary for him to take part in such things, but every now and then it was expected of him to make an appearance. In such cases he would appear at the event, act perfectly polite and honorable, and make his excuses as soon as was socially acceptable. It was still far from ideal, but he could survive an evening of awkward attempts at socializing. In the extreme cases, he would even allow himself a drink or two, though only just enough to be socially acceptable. It wouldn’t have done for him to get entirely wasted when he was representing his family, his office, or both.

It was fortunate, really, that he did not have a drink in his hand when someone suddenly barreled into his knees.

Thankfully the attacker was not exactly large, so he did not stagger much. If anything, he was rather worried about his assailant. Looking down, he found a child sitting on the floor, rubbing her forehead.

“Ah. Are you all right?” Why was there a child here, and unattended at that? She was clearly dressed for the party with a fluffy dress and hair decorations, so presumably someone had brought her here on purpose, but then surely there should have been someone looking after her?

“Yup!” The child seemed unaffected by her mishap, clambering up to her feet and giving him a beaming smile. “Sorry mister!” There was something about her that tugged at Sanada’s memory. Something about her light curls, her blue eyes, and that smile…

“Eudora! What have I told you about running off?”

The little girl spun on her heels, not looking sorry at all. “Sorry Papa!” Still, Sanada had little attention for the unrepentant tot. All he could focus on at the moment was on the man walking towards them. Well, limping was probably more accurate, with the way he was leaning on an ornate cane every other step. Even so, this was no elderly grouch, but a young man his own age. Almost exactly, in fact, given that they had been in the same year at school.

“Atobe.” Because this was Atobe, somehow, with the sleek hair and the formal attire and the cane. An Atobe who had the same blue eyes as the child in front of them, or perhaps it was more accurate to say the child had his eyes.

He had heard about the accident, of course. Even if he had somehow managed to miss the news, it seemed everyone he knew even tangentially had taken it upon themselves to inform him just in case. Atobe Keigo, one of the top players in the world, left a cripple after a car accident. It had been the last he heard of Atobe, though, his old rival vanishing from the headlines after that.

“Sanada.” There was a hint of a smirk on Atobe’s lips even as he closed the distance between them, leaning down to ruffle the girl’s hair. “Didn’t expect to run into you here.”

“I could say the same.” Sanada lifted his eyebrows. “I am here on business. Well, my boss thought it would be good for me to attend.”

Atobe paused, looking at him from head to toe, then nodded. “Government?”

“Should I even ask?” Trust Atobe to see everything, even still.

Atobe shrugged. “Most people here are either politicians or government workers, and you don’t seem like the type to run for office.”

“Hn. Can’t disagree with that.” Though that did raise another question. “That seems more like your field.”

Atobe laughed, a delighted little sound that made Sanada’s chest feel strange. “If that’s your not so subtle attempt at probing, I’m here in place of my grandfather. No doubt he’s trying to push me into politics, but at the moment I have no time for that sort of mess.”

“Atobe Keigo too busy to do something? To think I’d see the day.”

“I’m a single father working on my degree. Charming people is one thing, but I have no patience for the dull parts of such work.” Atobe crouched down, now, and Sanada nearly stopped him from picking up the child. He realized just in time that Atobe would know what he was capable of, moving back again as Atobe settled the girl on his hip. “Eudora, this is Sanada-san. I used to play tennis against him. Sanada, this is my pride and joy, Atobe Eudora.”

Eudora blinked at Sanada, then smiled brightly. “I’m Eudora!” she announced, lifting a pudgy hand with a few fingers extended. “I’m three!”

“Ah. It’s good to make your acquaintance.” He did wonder where the other parent was, but since Atobe had called himself a single father, it was probably best not to prod too closely. “Your Papa brought you to the party, huh?”

“She loves parties, which is the main reason I still give in to my grandfather’s invitations. Have to give her the excuse to dress up pretty.”

“Takes after her father, I see.” It only occurred to him a moment later that Atobe might get offended, but instead he got a laugh.

“Indeed! I’ll be in trouble once she grows up. At least now my main worry is having her outrun me.” Atobe gave him a wry grin, tapping his cane on the floor.

“Ah.” Sanada very much wished he’d had a cap to draw over his face. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve had plenty of time to come to terms with everything.” Atobe shook his head. “I had a good run of it, really. God knows I shouldn’t complain about my pro career being cut short when I know you and many others never made it that far. Ah. Because of your knees, that is.”

“Don’t worry, I figured that.” Sanada smirked a bit. Maybe they could at least both be awkward together. “For all your ego, you’ve generally been respectful of your rivals.”

“I do hope so.” Atobe nuzzled his daughter’s hair. “Really, my only regret is that I won’t be able to teach her to play. If I were truly desperate to get back to the courts, I would have looked into wheelchair tennis the moment I was out of the hospital.”

“Hn.” Sanada huffed. “I’d think you could teach her well enough even though you can’t play at your best.”

“Oh, but she’s my daughter. No doubt she’ll pass the level where I can help her improve very soon if she ever does decide to play.” Atobe grinned. “Good thing there are plenty of people around to help her in that case.”

“Fair.” Sanada nodded. “So… you said you’re working on your degree?” Asking questions about the other’s life was a suitable way of social interaction, right?

“Indeed.” Eudora was starting to get restless, so Atobe slipped her down to the floor with practised ease. “I am getting an utterly useless degree, as my grandfather would say, in classical literature. Once I’m done with that, I will probably continue to do something equally useless, like trying to write a book or work on music.”

“That’s not useless.” Sanada frowned. “Culture is one of the cornerstones of society. Cultivating it is a noble task.”

Atobe blinked, looking surprised. “I honestly didn’t expect you of all people to say that.”

“I’m not an utter savage. Just because I don’t have much skill in the arts does not mean I can’t appreciate them.”

Atobe smiled, without any sign of mockery or arrogance. “Well! I do wish more people shared your view. Listening to most of my relatives I’m not only throwing away all my potential, I’m also ruining Eudora’s life by setting a terrible example.”

“Hn.” Sanada snorted. “She doesn’t seem ruined to me.” He glanced at the child who was currently dancing in little circles around them, humming to herself.

“Obviously you just can’t see my horrible influence.” Atobe chuckled. “Can’t you tell that she has no chance of growing up feminine since her mother is not in the picture? Oh, but I also can’t provide a masculine presence in her life because my one mishap of a fling did not cure me of my unfortunate homosexuality. Clearly, my precious princess is a human disaster beyond salvaging before she’s even learned to ride a bike.”

“I should hope preferring men doesn’t disqualify one from being a suitable father.” Sanada gave a small shrug, trying to hide his nerves. Not that there should be anything to be nervous about, not with Atobe being so nonchalant about his own identity, but it was still not something Sanada spread too widely. “After all, I would rather like to be a father some day.”

“I absolutely recommend it.” Atobe reached out without looking, grasping his daughter’s hand as she zoomed past. “Now, I do believe we need to get going, or she will never make it to bed in time. Perhaps we could meet some other time to continue the conversation, though, since I am now back in the area?”

“Hn. That would be… pleasant.” Now that there were no rivalries at stake, he didn’t have to pretend to be aloof. Well. More aloof than he was by nature, anyway.

“Excellent.” How Atobe managed to produce a business card while also handling a toddler and a cane, he didn’t know, yet somehow it made its way into Sanada’s hands anyway. “Give me a call one of these days.”

“I will.” Sanada tucked the card into his pocket. “…It was good seeing you.”

“Likewise.” Atobe nodded at him, then took a couple of steps away before halting. Glancing over his shoulder, he grinned. “Oh, and Sanada?”

“Atobe?” What would be important enough to require Atobe to stop on his way?

“While Eudora does very much rule my life, I’m also not opposed to getting a babysitter for an evening every now and then.” Atobe winked, actually winked, and then turned away to follow his daughter’s skipping steps at a more sedate pace.

Sanada was not one to blush, but then Atobe had always been great at breaking the rules.


End file.
